Puzzle.



'EL F. TROUT.'

PUZZLE. APPLIOATION FILED 113.13. 190s.

Patented Fem, 1909.

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HENRY r. TEoUT, or ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

PZZLE.

specification 'of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Application filed February 13, 1908. Serial No. 415,742.

beth, in the county of Union and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lPuzzles; and I doV declare the following to^be a full, clear, Iandv exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled Vin the art to which it appertains to make and use the'same.

My invention relates to puzzles, and especially to that type of puzzle wherein the object is to complete a design normally in fragments or separated parts.

The object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will be simple in construction, cheap to manufacture and which will offerconsiderable pleasure and study in its mastery. l

Another object is to provide a puzzle which may have one portion of its design complete in itself so that the remaining fragmentary portions go to form with the complete design another complete design, thus more or less confusing the user, and making accomplishment of the puzzles object more diflicult. i

Further objects of the invention will appear as the specific description which follows is read in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application, and in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with the cover removed, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line x-x of Fig. 2 with the cover in place.

Referring more especiallyto the drawings,

1 represents the bottom of a shallow box provided with sides2 and a cover 3, of any suitable material which is vopaque.` cover may be detachably secured to the sides 2, or it may be ermanently'secured thereto, as desired, it being immaterial for the purpose -of the invention.

Projecting upwardly from the bottom 1 adjacent the four corners thereof are stubV shafts 4, upon which are j ournaled gear wheels 5, 6, 7 and 8. Gear wheels 5, 7 and 8 have teeth missing from their periphery, the first two having one only, and the last one, 8 having two teeth` missing, with a single tooth intervening between the spaces.

equally spaced and no teeth are missing fromits body. f n

This

A11; of the teeth around the gear wheel 6 are Secured upon the top of the gears are disks of any suitable thin material so as not to depreciably increase its depth. These disks are exposed through openings 9, in the cover and contain one part 10, of any suitable complemental fragmentary parts of designs which form with the design 11, carried by the outside of the cover, a complete design.

To operate the gear wheels and their respective disks, I provide buttons 12, upon one or more oi the disks so that they may be revolved to bring the portions of the design carried by the respective disks in alinement With the portion 11 of the design. The reason for omitting certain teeth upon the gears is to permit these gears to rotate independently of the remainder or the adjacent gears to rotate independently. It will be noticed, however, that if the gear 5 is rotating independently of the gear 8 it will not be rotated independently of gear 6, or if gear 7 is rotating independently of gear 6, it will not be rotated independently of gear 8. This is done in order to confuse'the operator and prevent if possible the forming of a complete design upon the article, it being necessary for the operator to change from one of the buttons to the other a number of times before the fragmentary parts of designs upon the disks are brought into alinement with the complete design upon the top of the box.

I have shown that portion of the design 10, which co-acts with the design 11 to form a completed design by marginal dash lines, it being understood that when these marginal lines register with the marginal lines of the design 11, and a perfect square is formed, the complete design is formed. By making each quarter of the disks to hold a different fragmentary portion of a design several forms of designs may be made in connection with the design 11. The form which is hardest to obtain may be considered the prize design, and the object ofthe puzzle.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1. In a puzzle, a box, a plurality of mutilated gears mounted therein and intermeshing with each other, a series of disks carried by said gears and each having a fragmentary part of a complete design, and means to rotate the gears and bring the fragmentary parts in alinement to complete the design. 2.' In a puzzle, a boX, a plurality of shafts mounted in the boX, a series of gears mounted on the shafts adapted to rotate and intermesh with each other, a series of disks carried by the gears and each having a fragmentary part of a complete design upon their surface, a top to hold said gears in position Within the box, said top having apertures to expose the design on each disk, and having ooinplemental fragmentary parts of the design which oo-act With the parts upon the disks, and means to rotate said disks to bring the various fragmentary parts of the design in registry to form a complete design.

3. In a puzzle, a box, a series of interwmeshing mutilated gears rotatably mounted therein, a series of disks Carried by said gears and eaoh having a fragmentary part ol a Complete design, a top for the box having apertures through which the said parts of others, to bring the parts of the design thereon in alinemeiit with the design on the eover. A

In testimony Whereoia l have hereunto set -iny hand in presence of two siil'isoi'ibiiig witnesses.

HENRY l?. TROUI. /litnesses:

CHARLns COOPER, FRANK H. CooLEY. 

